"Our company encourages male employees to take childcare leave," explained Employee A. "Also, knowing that there were male employees at the client site who took childcare leave, the environment was very conducive to taking leave. In addition, this was the third child for whom I was taking childcare leave, and since I had taken leave for the first and second children, my spouse and I discussed that I wanted to take it this time as well."

• "Being able to spend all the time with a newborn child," said Employee A. "There are a lot of tasks involved, such as changing diapers, bathing, changing clothes, and putting the baby to sleep, but ultimately, our child is adorable!"
• "Being able to share and collaborate in household chores more than usual," Employee A noted. "In our household, my spouse mainly took care of the third child, while I took care of everything else."
• "Being able to calmly handle the submission of birth notifications and document applications," Employee A explained. "City halls only operate on weekdays, and I didn't want to miss or misplace any documents. Balancing work responsibilities while dealing with this alone or while my spouse raised the child alone would have been challenging."
• "Being able to actively participate in events at the kindergarten attended by the first and second children," Employee A added. "There was a special event where fathers could experience a typical kindergarten day with their child. Although it only lasted a week and was held on weekdays, I participated for three days and thoroughly enjoyed interacting with many children!"
• "Being able to spend time with the older children when they returned home from kindergarten," continued Employee A. "If I were working, I would only have time to eat dinner and sleep with them on weekdays. However, during childcare leave, I had the flexibility to engage in various activities with my older child, such as visiting the park or children's hall, reading picture books at home, or doing puzzles."
• "Benefitting from favorable salary and bonus taxation," Employee A mentioned. "Although there were conditions, health insurance and welfare pension insurance premiums were exempted, resulting in a salary increase of approximately 100,000 yen due to health insurance and welfare pension insurance premiums included in my bonus."

Employee A described the following approach:
"As soon as the decision to take childcare leave was made, I contacted the project members at the client site," Employee A explained. "By initiating early communication, I could adjust the workload for the period until the start of childcare leave. Subsequently, I completed the assigned tasks by the scheduled date and shared relevant information on our regular information-sharing platform. This ensured a seamless handover and allowed me to commence childcare leave with a refreshed mindset."

Employee A reflected on the experience:
"The ability to contact (report, consult) early if there is an irregularity is valuable," Employee A expressed. "It's important not to keep issues to oneself and involve others. I feel satisfied that I could apply this aspect to my work."

Employee A offered advice based on personal experience:
"Although there are numerous benefits to childcare leave, there are also disadvantages," Employee A cautioned. "During the leave period, employees are unable to work and may miss important updates, potentially causing delays or issues. Depending on individual circumstances, there may be obstacles preventing leave-taking. For those fortunate enough to have the opportunity but are hesitant, I recommend experiencing childcare leave at least once, even if for a short period. The precious moments spent witnessing your child's growth are irreplaceable. Consider factors such as work commitments, children's development, and various other aspects when making your decision."